The present invention relates to a rolling walker. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvement of structure such as a frame and a seat of a rolling walker that can take various forms to be used, for example, an apparatus for enabling aged or disabled people to walk or to help them walk or as a walking trainer. It is noted that a term xe2x80x9crolling walkerxe2x80x9d is used in this specification as a general term for apparatuses having at least a frame, a caster and a handle particularly for helping aged people or disabled people to walk in order to walk easily, and is a concept including all kinds of lightweight cars called a walker, a walking trainer, a rolling walker for aged people or the like.
Conventionally, there has been known a rolling walker 200 having cross-type frames of a first frame 201 and a second frame 202 connected with each other by a connecting shaft 208 so that the frames can be folded, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30. The rolling walker is provided with a seat 205 and a handle (not shown) extending from either of the frames 201 or 202 and a user can sit on the seat 205 between the right and left handles only turning his or her body. Further, each frame 201, 202 is composed of longitudinal pipe portions disposed on both sides respectively and at least one lateral pipe portion connecting the longitudinal pipe portions with each other. A front caster 203 and a rear caster 204 that can not rotate are provided under the longitudinal frame of each frame 201, 202, respectively.
When the rolling walker 200 is used, each frame 201, 202 is rotated to open around the connecting shaft 208, as shown in FIG. 29. At this time, a hook fixed to the lateral pipe portion 209 of the second frame 202, for example, engages with the lateral pipe portion 207 of the first frame 201 so that the frames 201 and 202 link fixedly between themselves to keep them opened. That is, the hook 206 and the lateral pipe portion 207 engaging with the hook 206 form a frame fixing means. Here, the hook 206 is disposed in front of the seat 205 in order not to interfere with the seat 205.
The rolling walker 200 can be used by a user gripping the handles to walk and the rolling walker 200 also can be used as a chair to be sat on the seat 205 by the user when the user gets tired or so. The seat 205 is adapted to be pulled up when the user is walking with the users feet put in front of the rear caster 204.
Further, the rolling walker 200 can be folded to be compact when, e.g. it is not used, as shown in FIG. 30, by inwardly rotating each frame 201, 202 around the connecting shaft 208.
The above-described rolling walker 200, however, is not able to be fixed with the frames 201 and 202 folded and a grounding space X between the front and rear frames 203 and 204 becomes longer due to its own weight when the rolling walker is forced to stand itself by supporting the frames 201 and 202 with the front caster 203 and the rear caster 204. Because of this, the rolling walker 200 can not stand with the frames 201 and 202 folded but can be only laid down, resulting in causing problems of not only taking space and being inconvenient but also getting dirty.
Particularly since the front caster 203 can rotate, a rotational axis of the front caster 203 should be taken in the vertical direction when the frames 201 and 202 are opened. In this manner, a position of the front caster 203 becomes closer to the rear caster 204 to shorten the grounding space X between the casters 203 and 204 considerably when the frames 201 and 202 are closed, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 30 and the whole body of the rolling walker inclines forward to easily fall down compared to a case in which the front caster 203 faces forward (indicated by a two-dash broken line in FIG. 30). Due to the reason, it was difficult for the rolling walker 200 to stand with the frames 201 and 202 closed.
Furthermore, with regard to the hook 206, a user operates it by holding it directly and operating the hook 206 becomes difficult when a seat 205 that is large enough to cover the upper portion of the hook 206 is employed. It could be possible to extend an operating lever of the hook 206 to the outside of the seat 205 in order to avoid this. However, another problem has been occurred that the seat 205 is interfered by the operating lever when the seat 205 is pulled up from the horizontal position.
Accordingly, the present invention is aimed at providing a rolling walker that can be folded to stand when it is not used and also can improve its operation to open the frames.
To achieve the purpose, in a rolling walker having frames including a first frame supported by front casters and a second frame supported by rear casters connected with each other by a connecting shaft so that the frames can fold, and a handle provided on either first frame or second frame, the rolling walker according to the present invention is provided with a closed frame fixing means which connects the first and the second frames when the first and second frames are rotatably folded around the connecting shaft to be closed.
Thus, the first and second frames are folded to fix with each frame in a closed position by the closed frame fixing means which fixes frames in a closed position. In this manner, the rolling walker can stand with its frames folded so that the rolling walker can be kept standing even in a small space when it is not used.
Moreover, the rolling walker according to the present invention may have a straight moving means which fixes front casters in a back and front direction of the rolling walker and the rear casters may be adapted to be an unrotatable caster.
In this case, all casters can be fixed in the back and front direction so that straightness in moving of the rolling walker can be attained. Namely, the casters can be prevented from rotating by fixing all the casters in the back and front direction, resulting in ensuring for a user to walk easily, though it is not easy to walk straight on a slope which inclines in the direction perpendicular to the direction to which the rolling walker moves because the wheels face downward if the front caster can rotate. The straightness in moving of the rolling walker can be ensured even on such a slope inclining in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the rolling walker""s moving.
In addition, in the present invention, the straight moving means which fixes front casters in the back and front direction may be provided with a lock member movably attached to the first frame and locking recesses formed in both of the first frame and the front casters to limit the front casters to rotate by engaging the lock member with both recesses. In this case, since the lock member engages with both of the first frame and the front casters, the locking force can be greater compared to a case in which the lock member engages with the front casters only.
Further, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide the rolling walker with a means for fixing front casters in an opposite direction to enable the front caster to rotate to be fixed in a position where the center of the front wheel is positioned in front of the rotational axis of the front caster. In this case, the grounding space between the front and rear casters becomes longer and the whole body of the rolling walker is prevented from forwardly tilting. Thus, the rolling walker does not easily fall down when it is folded, resulting in ensuring its stable standing.
Furthermore, in the present invention, the rolling walker may be provided with an open frame fixing means which fixes frames in an open position to connect the first and second frames with each other for fixing their positional relations when the first and second frames are in an open position. In this case, since the frames can be fixed in a position of being used by the open frame fixing means which fixes frames in an open position, the rolling walker can be prevented from folding unexpectedly when the rolling walker gets shock, for example, the front caster hits against an obstacle.
Moreover, in the present invention, the rolling walker is preferably provided with a seat facing backward. The seat is rotatably supported on the lateral pipe portion of a frame that is defined as a front frame during walking and the seat is rotatable between a position where the seat is sat by a user and a position where the seat is evacuated. In this case, the user""s feet can be put inside the rear frame when the seat is rotatably pulled up around the front lateral pipe portion so that the rolling walker can be used as a walker. Moreover, the appearance of the rolling walker becomes nicer since the seat and the frame overlap when they are laterally seen while the seat is pulled up. And, the user can sit on the seat just pulling down the seat and turning the user""s body.
In the present invention, the rolling walker may be provided with a seat facing backward, which is rotatably supported on the lateral pipe portion of a frame that is defined as a front frame during walking and is able to rotate between a position where the seat is sat and a position where the seat is evacuated, and an open frame fixing means which fixes frames in an open position provided under the seat. The open frame fixing means which fixes frames in an open position may have a release lever that can rotate between a position where the release lever protrudes from beneath the seat and the open frame fixing means which fixes frames in an open position can be operated and a position where the seat is not interfered even it is pulled up. In this case, the release lever of the open frame fixing means which fixes frames in an open position protrudes from beneath the seat so that operation to release the means can be easier since the user can easily hold the open frame fixing means which fixes frames in an open position. Also, the release lever can rotate to move to a position where the release lever does not interfere with the seat, enabling the seat to be prevented from interfering with the release lever even the seat is pulled up.
Further, the rolling walker according to the present invention preferably has grips consisting of the handle provided on the right and left side respectively and a back belt whose ends are connected with front portions of the right and left grips of the handle respectively to be leaned on by the user. In this case, the user can lean his or her back on the back belt during sitting on the seat so that the user can take a rest in a more comfortable and stable position. The appearance of the rolling walker can be nicer because the handle can be formed with its open ends facing backward. It is also possible to adjust a position of the back belt according to the user""s built. The belt can be adjusted according to the user if the user is fat or thin, and stability during sitting on the seat can be increased. Here, it is preferable to make a center portion of the back belt wider than other portions thereof. In this manner, the user""s back can be supported with a larger surface area when he or she leans on the seat and comfortableness in sitting on the seat can be increased.
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide the rolling walker with the back. In this case, the user can take a rest in a more comfortable and stable position since the user can lean his or her back on the backrest when he or she sits on the seat.
On the other hand, the rolling walker according to the present invention may be provided with a seat facing forward on the lateral pipe portion of a frame that is defined as a rear frame during walking and the seat is rotatably supported so that a front portion of the seat can be pulled up. In this case, a cart having a seat facing forward, e.g. a type of cart that the user can sit on the seat by just walking up to the front of the seat when he or she gets tired during pushing the cart and walking with baggage or the like on it, can fold and stand in a folded position.
Further, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, it is preferable to form a portion of the seat surrounding the user""s hip into raised higher than the center portion of the seat. In this case, the hip of the user sitting on the seat is supported being circumferentially surrounded so that the user can feel comfortable during sitting.
Furthermore, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, the right and left grips of the handle are preferably connected by the connecting portion. In this case, the user can hold the connecting portion between the right and left grips of the handle with comfortable width according to the size of the user""s hand instead of holding the right and left grips of the handle forcibly so that the user can push naturally the rolling walker in a comfortable and vertical position.
Moreover, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, it is preferable to attach a removable bag to the frame. In this case, a user can carry his or her things housed in the bag. Since the bag is removable, the user can remove the bag having valuables in it out of the frame to carry with him or her when the user leaves the rolling walker so that the baggage is not stolen and the rolling walker is safety and convenient to use.
It is also preferable to provide the rolling walker with a seat rotatably supported on a lateral pipe portion of a frame that is defined as a rear frame during walking. The seat also can rotate between a position where the seat is sat and a position where the seat is evacuated, and the seat is used as not only a seat but also a lid of the bag. This makes the number of assemblies smaller since a lid of the bag should not be prepared individually.
Here, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, it is preferable to provide each of the front and rear casters with a main portion of the caster and a connecting portion for connecting the main portion with the frame, and the connecting portion is provided with either a caster rotating means which enables the main portion of the caster to rotate with respect to the frame or a caster fixing means which unrotatably fixes the main portion of the caster to the frame. In this case, assemblies such as the main portion of the caster, the wheel or the tire, except the caster rotating means and the caster fixing means, can be used not only for the rotatable caster but also for unrotatable caster. This can decrease the number of kinds of the assemblies, resulting in cutting the cost of assemblies or members.
Further, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, the connecting portion may be provided with an attachment portion where a lock member for locking rotation can be attached when the caster rotating means is disposed and a brake mechanism can be attached when the caster fixing means is disposed. In this case, the attachment portion can be shared between the caster that can not rotate and the caster that can rotate and each caster can be attached with individual members, resulting in giving distinct function to each caster while attaining utilization of assemblies for the plural purposes.
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide the rolling walker with a brake mechanism to stop rotation of the wheel by pulling a wire and a brake operation device that can operate the brake mechanism by pulling the wire. The brake operation device includes a cam member rotatably supported with respect to the handle and attached with the wire, and a locking mechanism for locking an operation lever in a position in which the operation lever has been rotated to the second direction. The operation lever is also provided with a first pressing portion for rotating the cam member in the direction of pulling the wire when the operation lever is operated to the first direction and a second pressing portion for rotating the cam member in the direction of pulling the wire when the operation lever is operated to the second direction. The cam member is provided with a first receiving portion pressed by the first pressing portion of the operation lever and a second receiving portion pressed by the second pressing portion.
In this case, as the brake operation device connects the operation lever with the wire by the cam mechanism, the operation lever can be directly attached to the handle so as to rotate. In this arrangement, the rotational center of the operation lever is always fixed irrespective of directions to be operated and a user can obtain stable feeling of operation. Consequently, operating the brake of the rolling walker can be improved. Also, because of the provision of the lock mechanism for locking the operation lever in a position in which the operation lever has been rotated to the second direction, the locking of the operation lever can be kept even if the cam member becomes loose for some reason or other when it is locked and then the cam member engages again with the operation lever when the cam member returns to the original state, resulting in increasing stability of locking.
Here, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, it is preferable to dispose the operation lever, the cam member and the lock mechanism so that the operation lever being at the neutral position is stopped not to rotate by three points of the first and second pressing portions and the lock mechanism. In this case, since the operation lever being at the neutral position is stopped not to rotate by the three points, the operation lever stably stops without shaking. Consequently, the wire can be pulled without play when the operation lever being at the neutral position is operated to either the first direction or the second direction, and a brake response to the operation of the operation lever becomes better to obtain a nice feeling of operation.
Further, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, the operation lever may have a ring-shaped operating portion. In this case, the operation lever can be operated to rotate to either direction by putting one or more fingers of the user in the operating portion. In this manner, the user should not grip over again every time he or she changes the direction of operating the operation lever, and good operational feeling can be obtained.
On the other hand, in the rolling walker according to the present invention, the frame and the handle may be connected through a rise and fall portion. The rise and fall portion includes an outer pipe fixed to the frame, an inner pipe fixed to the handle and slidably fitted to the outer pipe, an outer hole communicating with the outer pipe and having a female screw, a plurality of inner holes communicating with the inner pipe, and a operating screw which is engaged with the female screw of the outer hole and piercing through the inner hole. The end portion of the operating screw presses the inner surface of the inner pipe.
In this case, since the bottom end portion of the operating screw comes into contact with the inner surface of the inner pipe, a damaged portion is not exposed outside even if a place contacting with the operating crew of the inner pipe is damaged, and the appearance of the rolling walker does not get worse. The appearance, therefore, becomes nicer comparing to a case in which the operating screw presses the inner surface of the inner pipe to damage it and the damaged portion is exposed.
Further, since the operating screw is pierced through the inner holes of the inner pipe, the inner pipe does not oscillate if the operating screw comes loose due to oscillation from an expansion and contraction mechanism, enabling the inner pipe to ensure its stable fixation. The inner pipe also has a plurality of inner holes formed therein so that the length of the expansion and contraction mechanism can be changed gradually. Thus, each length of the plurality of expansion and contraction mechanisms can be equal easily, comparing to a case using an expansion and contraction mechanism that does not expand and contract gradually.
Furthermore, the rolling walker according to the present invention has an armrest on the frame having a handle so that the rolling walker can be used as a walking trainer. In this case, the walking trainer can fold and stand.
The walking trainer is preferably provided with a load mechanism enabling the rear caster to constantly give a load to rotation of the wheel. In this case, the walking trainer can be prevented from moving with light force by adjusting the wheel of the rear caster to be always loaded, and therefore the walking trainer can be prevented from moving ahead of a user, for example, when a user, who lost the full use of the feet, uses the walking trainer, thereby increasing safety in using the walking trainer. Also, a user has to put the walking trainer forward to move the trainer, and this action trains the user for walking.